30 Best Christmas Bar Recipes and Ideas

Don’t waste your time with cookies this year. Make these easy and impressive Christmas bar recipes instead.

They’re sweet, quick, and ideal for parties!

From fudgy brownies and creamy cheesecake to chewy fruit bars and more, these holiday dessert bars are fuss-free and effortless to whip up.

Whether you’re serving a few or a few dozen, you can’t beat them. So double or triple the batch, slice it into squares, and enjoy!

How easy is that? 

And if you’re on a budget, they’re also fabulous as gifts.

Everybody loves a homemade treat, and these Christmas bar recipes are the best of the best.

30 Easy Holiday Dessert Bars for Christmas

1. Ina Garten’s Lemon Bars

Brighten up Christmas morning with one of these delightful lemon bars! 

No one can resist the bright bursts of citrus and mouthwateringly smooth filling.

And while lemon isn’t a typical holiday flavor, I think these make such a nice change from all the spiced cookies and cakes.

2. Gooey Butter Bars

The holidays are no time to cut back on calories! So, whip up these fabulous gooey butter bars.

They’re sweet, salty, ooey-gooey, and straight-up delicious. 

Rich and buttery, these sweet treats are perfect for gobbling up at Christmas. So bake up a batch and enjoy them throughout the season. 

They’re great with gingerbread hot chocolate or a speedy grab-and-go treat.

3. M&M Christmas Cookie Bars

Get into the holiday spirit with these eye-catching M&M Christmas cookie bars! Brimming with red and green M&Ms, they certainly look the part.

They’re perfect for sharing, too, since one tray can make up to thirty-six bars! Just slice them into squares and hand them out to eager hands. 

Along with M&MS, you’ll sprinkle white chocolate chips on top before baking, so they look extra festive. 

4. Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

These Christmas sugar cookie bars are sure to steal the show at your next holiday party!

A sugar cookie base topped with a creamy, fluffy frosting? Does it get any better?

Well, actually…this recipe is literally half sugar cookie and half frosting. So yeah, this might be more indulgent than most!

Top them with Christmas-colored sprinkles and get ready to gobble up each and every one.

When a Christmas bar tastes this good, you won’t want to share!

5. Christmas Magic Cookie Bars

Bring these fun and festive cookie bars to your next bake sale, and you’ll be sold out in minutes.

They’re bursting with Christmas magic! Not only do they look fabulous and taste delicious, but they’re also so easy to make.

Just layer all the ingredients into a baking pan, and you’re good to go.

In just 10 minutes, you can have these cookie bars in the oven. So they’re perfect for when you’re short on time but still want to enjoy some Christmas goodies. 

6. Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars

If you’re a big fan of dulce de leche (like me!), you’ll adore these cookie bars!

Make your own by boiling condensed milk in water for a few hours.

I like to put it in a slow cooker overnight on low (the whole, sealed can submerged in water), and it always comes out perfect!

Or just buy the ready-made stuff. Either way, there’s no better way to indulge in that golden goodness than in this fabulous cookie bar.  

Top them with melted, tinted white chocolate for the most festive finish.

7. The Best Red Velvet Bars

With its bright red hue, red velvet was made for the holidays! And these red velvet bars are as easy as can be.

The key is to use a boxed cake mix to save time and effort. Just add some white chocolate chips and top it off with buttercream frosting (store-bought!).

Yeah, these bars are just as quick and delicious as they sound!

8. Gingerbread Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting

One bite of these gingerbread bars, and they’ll quickly become your new Christmas must-bake!

Perfectly spiced gingerbread is topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, adding a nice sweet tang to all that spice.

Decorate them with sprinkles and maybe some itty bitty little gingerbread men too!

9. Triple Chocolate Hot Cocoa Cookie Bars

Chocoholics will go gaga for these triple chocolate hot cocoa bars!

They’re packed with three kinds of chocolate, mini marshmallows, and Christmas sprinkles.

Serve them with a cup of hot cocoa, and you might go weak in the knees.

10. White Chocolate Christmas Blondies With Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect festive treat, whip up a batch of these Christmas blondies.

Thick, buttery, and chewy, they’re loaded with white chocolate, sprinkles, and cream cheese frosting.

The best part? You only need one bowl and five minutes to whip up a batch! Then, pop them in the oven and frost when they’re cold.

Easy peasy.

11. Old Fashioned Cherry Bars

With both red and green glacé cherries in the mix, these are super duper Christmassy!

There’s a quick and buttery shortbread base at the bottom. But it’s the filling that’s the star.

Featuring glacé cherries, dried coconut, vanilla, and pecans, it’s wonderfully nutty and crunchy with plenty of sweet chew you’ll love.

12. Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars

These cranberry crumble pie bars are ideal for bringing along to holiday parties and potlucks.

They have a flaky shortbread crust, jammy cranberry filling, and crumbly almond topping.

To make them extra special, drizzle them with a little orange-flavored icing to complement the tart berries!

13. Salted Caramel Butter Bars

Oozing with rich, buttery salted caramel, these butter bars might just be the most addictive recipe on the list.

The buttery crust comes together in a flash, and it bakes up nice and tender. As for the caramel filling, it’s as easy as 1-2-3!

First, buy caramel candies.

Second, melt them in the microwave with some cream.

Third, pour the caramel over the crust.

It’s a nice little shortcut that produces the best caramel every single time. Just don’t forget to add the salt!

14. Maple Bacon Blondies

We have a saying in my house: bacon makes everything better! And these sweet dessert bars are no exception!

Maple and bacon are a match made in heaven. And when you add them to a thick, chewy blondie, you’ll quickly fall in love.

Seriously, you can’t have just one!

15. Easy Christmas Tree Brownies

What screams Christmas more than Christmas trees? And when they’re made out of brownies, it’s all the more merry.

Just cut the brownies into triangles, then pipe some green peppermint icing over the top.

Finish them with Christmas sprinkles and a candy cane skewer in the bottom.

16. No-Bake Mint Chocolate Bars

These mint chocolate Nanaimo bars are no-fuss, no-muss, and no-bake!

From the chewy crust to the creamy mint filling and rich chocolate ganache, they’re picture-perfect and super scrumptious. 

And they’re so easy to make too! They only take 20 minutes to whip up, and there’s no baking needed.

Just whack them in the refrigerator to chill. 

And hey, you can easily change that filling with different colors and flavors.

17. Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookie Bars

Peppermint is one of the most amazing Christmas flavors. And these peppermint crunch sugar cookie bars really let it shine!

Moist, soft, thick, and chewy, these bars are simply irresistible. They’re loaded with fluffy peppermint frosting and topped with crushed candy canes. 

Try chopped up Andes mints if you’re not a fan of crunchy candy canes. You’ll get minty flavor and a hit of chocolate too!

18. Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

In the mood for something really special? Give these peppermint cheesecake bars a go!

They’re creamy, sweet, and overloaded with delicious peppermint flavor. And you only need six ingredients to make them!

That said, there’s no base in the recipe – which I find a bit odd. How do you pick up a piece of pure cheesecake?

So, I like to add a simple Oreo crumb. It looks fabulous against the white filling and brings a nice bit of chocolatey bitterness.

19. Fruitcake Bar Cookies

Colorful, chewy, and deliciously sweet fruitcake bar cookies make for a great grab-and-go breakfast.

Just gobble up as you’re rushing out the door. 

Of course, they’re also terrific for the holidays. Loaded with dried fruit, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon, they’ve got all the festive faves.

If you can find a candied fruit mix, go ahead and use that. It’ll save you chopping up a bunch of sticky fruit.

20. Hello Dolly Bars

I know these don’t look super festive, but they taste amazing. And they’re loaded with a whopping seven layers.

Named for the Broadway musical of the same name, they’re buttery, gooey, and crispy.

It starts with a Graham Cracker crust topped with condensed milk, chocolate chips, walnuts, and shredded coconut.

And to make it a holiday treat, just add some colored M&Ms and candied orange peel.

21. Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Here’s another recipe that needs a bit of a holiday makeover. Luckily, it tastes phenomenal no matter what!

Sweet, salty, and oh-so chocolatey, you only need six ingredients and 25 minutes to whip them up.

To jazz them up, try adding Reese’s Pieces or chopped peanut butter cups to the top.

22. Millionaire’s Shortbread

A slice of millionaire’s shortbread is just what you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Not only does it look like a million bucks, but it tastes superb too. 

Made with a thick shortbread crust, a golden caramel filling, and lashings of chocolate on top, they have everything your dessert-loving heart desires.

23. Toffee Bars

If you’re gaga for chewy, gooey toffee, you’ll want to bookmark these insanely delicious bars!

They’re loaded with buttery shortbread, toffee filling, melted chocolate, and toffee bits.

Plus, they’re one of the easiest desserts you can make. Give them a try, and you won’t be sorry.

24. Chewy Chai Bars

If you thought the gooey butter bars were tasty, just wait until you try these!

They may not look as festive as some of the other recipes on this list, but the flavor does all the heavy lifting.

Between the fresh ginger, peppercorns, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks, this recipe is about as warm and spiced as it gets!

And the texture? It’s like a cross between a butter bar and an ultra-fudgy brownie.

What more could you ask for?

25. Pumpkin Pie Streusel Bars

Imagine sweet, spiced pumpkin pie with a brown sugar streusel on top. Now imagine all that and no finicky pastry!

This is my go-to pumpkin recipe for the holidays because it’s crazy simple and easily feeds a crowd.

You’ll make a quick shortbread base over which the pumpkin pie filling goes. Top it with streusel and bake until golden.

Easy as pie, right?

26. Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Craving apple pie but don’t feel like baking a whole pie? Then, try these stunning salted caramel apple pie bars!

They’re chewy, soft, sweet, and crunchy. 

And from the shortbread crust and apple filling to the streusel topping and salted caramel drizzle, they’re downright devilish.

The key to these tasty bars is a very generous drizzle of salted caramel on top. It doesn’t get much better than this!

27. Slutty Brownies

I’ll admit these don’t have a very family-friendly name.

But the combination of chocolate chip cookie dough, crunchy Oreos, and brownie batter is too good to miss.

Everything bakes in one pan to give you one helluva treat.

Make the festive with flavored Oreos. Or add a layer of caramel to the middle! Yum!

28. Salted Caramel Turtle Fudge Bars

If indulgence is what you’re after, you’ll never go wrong with this soft, chewy, sticky, chocolatey treat.

Unlike most fudge recipes, this one has a shortbread base.

It adds a lovely buttery, crumbly texture and a sweet taste to counter the strong flavor of chocolate in the middle.

And as if that’s not enough, you’ll top the whole thing with salted caramel and pecans.

Are you drooling, too?

29. Pecan Pie Bars

These ooey-gooey pecan pie bars are so much easier to make than a whole pie. 

All you need is to top a simple shortbread bottom with a one-bowl mix-and-pour pecan pie filling.

Pile it high with chopped pecans for the ultimate crunchy sweet treat. And hey, why not add some chocolate chips too? You deserve it!

30. Cookie Dough Bars

Cookie dough lovers might just lose their minds over this one.

Chock-full of chocolate chips and candy, it’s sweet, fudgy, crunchy, colorful, and over-the-top indulgent.

These colorful and fun treats are always a hit at Christmas parties. Especially with the kids, because they taste as good as they look!